Re: Astro CCDs still dragging their pixel feet

On 15 Apr 2005 18:10:51 -0700, AFM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>I admit though this all does cost some money and does not lend itself
>to inexpensive cameras.

Yes, when I said "expensive" I meant it in a relative way. Some folks
seem to think that since digital cameras are just a couple of hundred
dollars, a cooled camera for $500 should be easy. But considering you
need the thermoelectric cooler, some machined parts to get rid of the
heat, a sealed chamber with a window, and the control electronics,
that's probably close to $100 to the manufacturer, which means $500 or
so retail (that's basic small volume manufacturing rules). And that is
before the camera itself, and the development time that goes into it.
Expecting cooled astrocameras to drop much below a couple of thousand
dollars is probably not too realistic. Some garage operations could pull
it off, but if you want good support, you will pay a little more.

And it's crazy, but the B&W sensors required for good imaging cost more
than the same sensors with integral color filters.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com
.

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